Lint remover



y 1955 E. H. WILBREICHT 3,192,548

LINT REMOVER Filed June 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 mmvron. ERWIN HOWARD WILBRECHT B w L F, 5 ATTORNEY y 6, 1965 E. H. WILBRECHT 3,192,548

LINT REMOVER Filed June 5, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEN TOR. ERWIN HOWARD WILBRECHT Y 4AM. a a- ATroR EY United States Patent huh 3,192,548 LENT REIVEUVER Erwin Howard Wiihrecht, Shadow Mountain, Fairway Cottages 4A., Palm Desert, Caiif. Filed Eune 3, 1963, Ser. No. 285,147 Claims. (Ci. -104) The present invention generally relates to lint removers and more particularly relates to a portable cleaning device adapted to remove loose particles, such as lint, dust and the like, from surfaces such as those of clothing, wearing apparel and the like.

Brushes fabricated of animal hair or synthetic plastic bristles and brushes having sponge rubber or sponge plastic cleaning surfaces have been conventionally used to remove small particles of dust, lint, tobacco, etc., from wearing apparel in order to freshen the appearance thereof. For such purposes, however, not only are brushes usually relatively bulky and inconvenient to carry on the person, but they are also relatively inetficient in removing tenaciously adhering particles from clothing. Furthermore, the particles which are removed from the clothing during the brushing operation tend to accumulate in the brush bristles. Accordingly, they can be transferred back to the clothing during a subsequent brushing operation, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the brushing operation. Moreover, brushing which is sufficiently vigorous to remove tenaciously adhering particles from clothing has a tendency to impart wear to the clothing, particularly to clothing fabricated of relatively fragile or easily frayable materials, such as certain types of rayon.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention to provide an improved cleaning device.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive, durable, li ht weight, compact cleaning device for wearing apparel, which device is simple and effective to use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved portable lint remover capable of maintaining high etliciency in the removal of tenaciously adhering particles, such as lint and the like, from the surface of wearing apparel.

The foregoing obg ects are accomplished in accordance with the present invention by providing an improved portable cleaning device capable of efficiently removing lint, dust and other particles from various types of surfaces. The device comprises a roller, a roller holder and a protective case, all of simple, durable construction. The device is light and can be fabricated at low cost from readily available materials. The small case releasedly encloses particle-removing means in the form of a lineremoving outer surface of the roller to protect the same against inadvertent build-up of particles thereon. Moreover, the roller can be provided with an internal storage space capable of holding a reservoir of lint-removing material, whereby the lint-removing surface of the roller can be readily renewed to extend the useful life of the device. Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from a study of the following detailed description and of the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the area designated by the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

PEG. 4 is a top plan View of the device of FIG. 1, exclusive of the enclosing case;

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the section line 55 of FIG. 4;

$392,548 Patented July 6, 1965 ice FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the case of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the case of PEG. 1, the remainder of the device of P16. 1 being illustrated in dotted outline;

FIG. 8 is a side elevation of the case of FIG. 1, the remainder of the device of FIG. 1 being illustrated in dotted outline;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustr ting two sections of the roller of FIG. 1; and

HG. 10 is a section taken along the line EAL-1t) of FIG. 2.

Now referring more particularly to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, a preferred embodiment of the cleaning device of the present invention is illustrated in perspective view. The device it) includes a roller holder 12, a roller 14 detachably connected to the roller holder 12, the outer surface 16 of which roller carries particleremoving means comprising a coated paper sheet 18, and a case 29 enclosing the roller 14 and protecting it against inadvertent soiling of the lint-removing sheet 18.

The roller holder 12 can be of any suitable size and shape and includes a generally horizontally extending top cover 22 which may be corrugated, if desired, as illustrated in FIG. 1, and a pair of resilient depending legs 24 connected thereto adjacent opposite ends thereof. (See FIGS. 1, 2, 4 and 5.) The roller holder 12 also includes a curved handle 26 maintained above the upper surface of the cover 22 along the length thereof by a vertically extending plate 2% connected to the handle 26 and to the upper surface of the top cover 22. The handle 2-5 has a greater width than that of the plate 28, and the plate 28 is connected to the bottom surface of the handle 26, along the center line thereof, so that a recessed finger grip area 39 is provided between the plate 28 and the handle 26 on both sides thereof. The handle 26 is deflected downwardly at the ends 32 thereof, as shown in FIG. 1, so that a guideway 34 for the case 2 is provided between the inner surface 36 of the downwardly deflected ends 32 thereof and the adjacent ends 38 of the top cover, as shown more particularly in FIG. 3. The inner smface 36 of each end 32 is preferably provided with an inwardly extending detent or bead 46 which can function as an additional guide and/or releasable gripping means for the case 20, as shown in FIG. 3.

Preferably, the entire roller holder 12 is fabricated as a unitary structure, as by molding it from such light weight inexpensive materials as thermoplastic or thermosetting resin, glass, or the like, or by fabricating it from wood, pressed cardboard, fiberboard or the like, ceramic material, metal, etc. However, if desired, the components of the roller holder 12 can be separately fabricated and subsequently assembled together. Preferably, a plastie is used to fabricate the roller holder 12, for example, a urea-formaldehyde resin.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the legs 24 include inwardly extending gripping means 42 which are preferably adapted to releasably engage the roller 14, so that the roller 14 or roller holder 12 can be replaced, etc. Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the gripping means 42 may comprise two pins 44, disposed adjacent the lower end of each leg 24 and directed inwardly toward each other. The pins 44 are dimensioned to be re-leasably received within mating recesses 46 disposed in opposite ends 48 of the roller 14 along the longitudinal axis thereof. In FIG. 5, the clearanoe between the pins 44 and the recesses 46 is exaggerated for purposes ofillustration. Preferably, the legs 24 are fabricated of material sufiiciently strong yet resilient so that the roller can be released from rotatable engagement with the pins 44 by springing one or both of the legs 24 outwardly therefrom so as to remove the associated pin or pins 44 from the mating recesses 46 in the roller 14.

The roller 14 can be fabricated in any suitable manner from material which is the same as, similar to or dissimilar from that utilized for the roller holder. Preferably, plastic such as phenol-formaldehyde or urea-formaldehyde resin is employed since such plastic is lightweight, inexpensive and easily molded to the desired product. The roller 14 is cylindrical. Preferably, it is hollow with the opposite ends 48 thereof closed so that a reservoir 50 is provided therein for the storage of a supply of the particle-removing paper 18. In such an event, the roller 14 can be provided with a longitudinally extending slot 52 communicating between the surface 16 and the reservoir 50. Thus, a roll of the paper 18 coated on one side with a thin film of, for example, cohesive latex, can be disposed in the reservoir 58 and can be fed therefrom to the surface 16 through the slot 52, so that when the paper 18 is wrapped around the surface 16, the cohesive film will be exposed.

As shown in FIG. 9, the roller 14 can be fabricated in two sections adapted to slidably engage each other, so that the reservoir 50 can be used. Thus, a section 54 can be provided with an annular extension 56 at the inner end 58 thereof, which extension is recessed from the surface 16 a sufiicient amount to receive in sliding engagement thereover an extension 60 disposed at the inner end 61 of the mating section 62 of the roller 14. Theextension 60 is recessed from the inner surface of the roller 14 so that when the sections 54 and 62 are fully engaged, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the outer surface 16 of the roller 14 is essentially smooth and continuous, as is the inner surface of the roller 14. In order to properly align the sections 54 and 62 so that the two halves of the longitudinal slot 52 wil be in registry with each other, a pair of guideways 6 1- can be provided on each side of the slot 52 in the extension 69 of the section 62, and an appropriately cut-away portion 66 can be provided in the extension 56 of the section 54.

When it is desired to gain access to the reservoir 50, the sections 54 and 62 are pulled apart. Thereupon, a roll of the paper 18 can be disposed therein, as on a pair of hollow pins 68 shown in FIG. 9, disposed in the ends 48 of the roller 14. The pins 68 may include the recesses 46.

The paper 18 of the roll can then be fed through the slot 52, whereupon the sections 54 and 62 can be slid fully together, and the paper 18 can be wrapped around to cover the surface 16 and adhere thereto and to itself. The manner in which the roll is disposed within the roller 14 with its terminal portion extending through the slot 52 and about the outer surface 16 may be readily seen in the sectional view of FIG. 10.

It will be understood that materials other than the paper sheet 18 can be used, for example, plastic, foil or other types of sheets, one or more surfaces of which are covered with suitable particle-removing materials. Alternatively, the outer surface 16 of the roller 14 could be directly covered with a particle-removing substance unsupported on a sheet or the like. Moreover, the film of particle-removing material can be any suitable substance which does not deleteriously affect the surface from which the particles are to be removed. The paper adheres to the surface 16 of the roller 14 and to itself. It will be understood that the coating on the surfaces of the paper is one which will easily adhere to itself and to lint, dust and the like, but does not firmly adhere to fabric, or other surfaces to be cleaned and, moreover, does not leave deposits on the fabric and soilthe same. Conventional cohesive rubber type glues are excellent for such purposes.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, when it is desired to renew the covering of lint-adhering material on the surface 16 of the roller 14, as when the exposed sheet 18 has become dirty and clogged with lint, the dirty sheet 18 can be unwrapped from the outer surface 16 of the roller 14 and further amounts of the sheet 18 can be pulled out of the reservoir 50 through the slot 52 by pulling on the unwrapped soiled portion of the sheet 18. The soiled portion of the sheet 18 can then be torn or clipped off and the freshly exposed portion of the sheet 18 can be wrapped onto the roller surface 16 while it is still connected to additional unwrapped portions of the sheet 18 disposed on the roll in the reservoir 50 of the roller 14.

The case 28 is preferably fabricated of transparent material such as transparent methacrylate ester type plastic, and is in the form of an open topped hollow container. It can be fabricated of translucent or opaque plastic, glass, metal, wood or the like, if desired. The case is releasably secured to the roller holder 12 and encloses the roller 14 to protect the lint-removing sheet 18 on the surface 16 from inadvertant soiling when not in use.

The case can be provided with a flat bottom 7 0 to facilitate storage of the device 10 on a fiat surface, such as a table, etc. The upper end of the case 20 is dimensioned to conform to the top cover 22, so that a releasably gripping action is etfected between the ends 38 of the top cover 22 and adjacent upper edges 72 of the case 20 when the case is disposed around the roller holder 12, as shown in FIG. 1, with the edges 72 in the guideway 34. This gripping action is clearly indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the accompanying drawings, wherein it is also seen that the edges 72 are bounded by and frictionally engaged with the detents or beads 40, as well as the ends 38. It will also be noted that the edges 72 terminate at about the level of the upper surface of the top cover 22, while the remaining upper edges 74 of the case 29 terminate at about the level of the lower surface of the top cover 22. The top cover 22 has a width about equal to that of the case 20 so that the top cover 22 rests on the edges 74 while abutting the edges 72 of the case 20.

The case 20 is preferably also provided with a pair of spaced guideways 76 disposed at each of two opposite ends of the case adjacent the legs 24 when the case 29 is disposed around the roller holder 12. One form of the guideways 76 is clearly indicated in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. As shown, the guideways 76 comprise inwardly extending detents integral with or separately connected to the case 20. Each guideway 76 of each pair is spaced from the remaining guideway 76 of that pair a sufficient distance so as to provide a space 78 therebetween within which the adjacent leg 24 of the roller holder 12 slides when the case 20 is fitted up into place around the holder 12. Accordingly, movement of the case 20 into position around the holder 12 and releasable engagement of the ends 38 with the edges 72 are facilitated.

The device 10 is compact, inexpensive, durable and easy to use. Thus the case 20 can be readily released therefrom by holding the handle 26 in one hand and the case 20 in the other hand, and pulling the holder 12 from the case 20. The roller 14 is thus exposed and ready for use, with the roller holder 12 held in the hand. Accordingly, the roller 14 is merely placed against the surface to be cleaned and roller therealong under gentle pressure. The lint-removing surface of the sheet 18 on the roller 14 picks up loose particles and holds them on the sheet 1 8. Very rapid and eificient cleaning of all types of surfaces can thus be carried out. The case 20 can still be held, if desired, in the opposite hand and as soon as the cleaning operation is completed, the case 28' and roller holder 12 can be releasably secured together for storage in a wearing apparel pocket, or on the surface of a table, etc. Further advantages of the present invention are as set forth in the foregoing.

Various other embodiments of the device 10 can be constructed in accordance with the invention. Moreover, the components of device 10 can be fabricated from one or a variety of suitable materials. It will be obvious that the device 10 can be of any size and shape, and the components thereof can be joined in any suitable manner, so long as such components coact with each other in the previously described manner. All modifications, variations and changes in the cleaning device of the invention as are within the scope of the appended claims form a part of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A portable cleaning device which comprises, in combination, a roller holder including a top cover, a pair of resilient legs depending therefrom at opposite ends thereof, each of said legs including opposed inwardly extending roller-engaging means, a handle supported above the upper surface of said cover by a plate interconnected to said handle and to said cover, a roller rotatably and relcasably connected to said legs through said roller engaging means, cleaning means comprising a sheet having a coating of tacky material disposed on the other surface thereof, said sheet being disposed on the surface of said roller with said tacky material exposed, and a case having two opposing sides and two opposite ends releasably enclosing said roller, said case frictionally gripping said cover at the upper edges of the two opposite ends of said case, said cover resting on the top of said case along the upper edges of the two opposite sides of said case, said case also including a pair of guideways disposed at each of the two opposite ends thereof adjacent said legs and adapted to receive said legs, whereby releasable connection of said case with said roller holder is facilitated.

2. An improved portable lint rem-over, which comprises, in combination, a roller holder, including a horizontally extending top cover, a pair of resilient legs integral with said cover and depending therefrom at opposite ends thereof, ahandle disposed above the upper surface of said cover by a vertically disposed plate connectcd thereto and to said top cover, said plate, handle and upper surface of said cover defining a recessed finger grip area adjacent said handle on each side of the plate, the ends of said handle being directed downwardly and spaced outwardly from said legs to define case-receiving guideways, a roller rotatably and releasably connected to said legs, said roller being hollow with closed opposite ends whereby a reservoir is defined, said roller defining a longitudinal slot extending from the outer surface thereof to said reservoir, a sheet disposed on said outer surface and extending into said reservoir through said slot, the outer surface of said sheet having a coating of tacky material, a case releasably enclosing said roller by frictional engagement with said cover at two opposite ends thereof in said case-receiving guideways, the inner surfaces of said handle ends including detents, said cover being adapted to seat on said case on non-frictionally engaged ends thereof, whereby said roller is readily protected from soiling.

3. The improved portable lint remover of claim 2 wherein the components of said roller holder are integral, and wherein said roller holder, said roller and said case are plastic.

4. An improved portable cleaning device, which device comprises, in combination, a roller holder including a top cover, a pair of resilient legs depending therefrom adjacent opposite ends thereof, a handle extending upwardly from said cover, a cylindrical roller rotatably and releasably connected at opposite ends thereof to said legs, said roller being hollow with substantially closed opposite ends, said rollre defining a longitudinal slot extending from the outer surface to the hollow interior thereof, said roller comprising two slidably engaging mating sections, each of said sections including a roll-supporting pin connected to the inner surface of said substantially closed ends, a sheet of paper disposed on the outer surface of said roller and extending into the interior thereof through said slot, the outer surface of said sheet having a coating of tacky material, said paper being disposed therein as a roll on said roll-supporting pins, and a case enclosing said roller, said case releasably frictionally engaging said cover at opposite ends thereof.

5. A portable lint remover, which comprises, in combination, a roller holder including a top cover, a pair of resilient legs depending therefrom at opposite ends thereof, each of said resilient legs including inwardly extending roller engaging means, a handle means extending upwardly from the upper surface of said cover, a roller rotatably and releasably connected to said legs through said roller engaging means, said roller being hollow with substantially closed opposite ends, said roller defining a longitudinal slot extending from the outer surface to the hollow interior thereof, said roller comprising two mating slidably engaging sections, each of said sections including a portion of said slot, and a roll-supporting pin connected to the inner surface of each of said substantially closed ends, one of said sections including a pair of guideways and the other section defining a cut-out portion matching said guideways, whereby alignment of two portions of said slot is facilitated, a sheet of cellulosic material disposed on the surface of said roller, said sheet having a film of cohesive latex on at least the outer surface thereof, and a four-sided case enclosing said roller and releasably frictionally gripping said cover at the upper edges of two opposite sides thereof, said cover resting on the upper edges of the remaining two opposite sides of said case.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,127,053 2/15 MacDonald 242-5553 1,774,214 8/30 Thomas -26 X 2,423,962 7/47 Clark et al.

2,542,774 2/51 Hutchinson 15-104 2,592,969 4/52 Stachowiak.

2,624,060 1/53 McKenzie 15l04 2,658,217 11/53 Green 15104 CHARLES A. WILLMUTH, Primary Examiner. 

4. AN IMPROVED PORTABLE CLEANING DEVICE, WHICH DEVICE COMPRISES, IN COMBINATION, A ROLLER HOLDER INCLUDING A TOP COVER; A PAIR OF RESILIENT LEGS DEPENDING THEREFROM ADJACENT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF, A HANDLE EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID COVER, A CYLINDRICAL ROLLER ROTATABLY AND RELEASABLY CONNECTED AT OPPOSITE ENDS THEREOF TO SAID LEGS, SAID ROLLER BEING HOLLOW WITH SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED OPPOSITE ENDS, SAID ROLLER DEFINING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT EXTENDING FROM THE OUTER SURFACE TO THE HOLLOW INTERIOR THEREOF, SAID ROLLER COMPRISING TWO SLIDABLY ENGAGING MATING SECTIONS, EACH OF SAID SECTIONS INCLUDING A ROLL-SUPPORTING PIN CONNECTED TO THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID SUBSTANTIALLY CLOSED 